Information Feedback Between Size Portfolios in Boursa Kuwait

This paper examines the transmission of information between small and large sized portfolios within the Boursa Kuwait between 2011 and 2020.  The study documents a constant and steady stream of feedback which demonstrates a sizeable and significant impact on market volatility; albeit at varying degrees of effect on smaller portfolios as compared with larger ones.  Evidence suggests a more persistent volatility on larger portfolios, indicating a disparity on the interpretations of transmitted information between the varied styles of investors in the Kuwait Boursa

English Language Proficiency as a Predictor of Academic Performance in the College of Nursing, Kuwait

The English language proficiency of international students has gained considerable attention in the media, but more significantly in the academic realm. Proficiency in the English language is of prime importance and is regarded by numerous researchers as one of the determining factors of academic success. This study aimed to gain insight into the correlation of the English proficiency with the academic performance of all 50 students who have graduated from the College of Nursing, Kuwait in the Academic Year 2015 – 2016. Utilizing a retrospective and correlational research design, students’ records in levels one to five were reviewed. Data were collected through record review of graduate students. Data analysis utilized the Minitab version 14. Other tests used were the descriptive statistics, T-test, ANOVA and Pearson Product Moment Correlation, with p value set at less than 0.05. Results of the study revealed that there is a moderate correlation between the overall English language proficiency and the overall academic performance both in nursing courses, with p value of 0.001, and in non-nursing courses, with p value of 0.0. As the student’s period of stay in the college increases, there is a negative correlation with the following: English proficiency (- 48%; p =0.0); academic performance in nursing courses (-50.6%; p=0.0); and, academic performance in the overall courses (-53.6%; p=0.0). For both, English language proficiency and academic performance, there is no relationship with other variables such as age, sex, and nationality. Findings of this study may facilitate modifications both in the English Language Program and strategies to make them more responsive to students’ needs in nursing and non- nursing courses, thereby leading to an improved academic performance of the students and ultimate enhancement of their productivity. Keywords: English Language Proficiency. Academic Performance. Grade Point Average

Nursing Students’ and Teachers’ Perspectives on Clinical Education in Kuwait

Clinical education is the heart of nursing curriculum. An insight into the different perspectives could facilitate its improvement. AIMS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study aims to assess the nursing students’ and teachers’ perspectives on clinical education in Kuwait. METHODS: The study includes all faculty members of the Bachelor and Associate Degree in Nursing Programs from the College of Nursing, Kuwait (16 teachers and 12 trainers) and 120 students selected through convenient sampling from levels one to five of the Associate Degree in Nursing Program. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaire and were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Aside from descriptive statistics, T-test was utilized to compare the students’ perspectives with that of the teachers. ANOVA was used to determine any difference in the perspectives according to various factors. A significant p-value was set at less than 0.05. RESULTS: Main findings of the study illustrate six items related to the state of clinical education deemed significant by both students and teachers, namely: hospital management collaboration in resolving problems of students (p = .001); collaboration and supervision of education (p = .003); access to welfare facilities at bedside and adequacy to educational facilities at bedside with p values of .004 and .002 respectively; development of skills in nursing process implementation (p = .010) and development of patient education skills (p = .028). Factors which can potentially create problems were the lack of appropriate scientific background in the ward (p=0.047) and students wandering in the absence of instructor (p=0.025).CONCLUSION: Students’ and teachers’ perspectives on the state of clinical education in Kuwait and the factors which may potentially create problem areas have basic commonalities, focusing on the importance of collaboration between the clinical agency and the educational institution and between those actually involved in supervision of the students - the clinical staff and school faculty. RECOMMENDATION: This study recommends conducting similar studies on a wider scale, considering the technological thrusts prompted by global circumstances like the pandemic. Keywords: Nursing students; Teachers; Perspectives; Clinical Educatio DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/82-07 Publication date: November 30th 202

Kuwaiti parent's knowledge of their childern's fever and their patterns of use of over the counter antipyretics

BackgroundMany parents consider fever a disease with the continuation of fever phobia and overuse of antipyretics to reduce it.AimsIdentifying Kuwaiti parent’s knowledge of their children’s fever and determining their patterns of use of Over-the-Counter- Antipyretics.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study in which we have recruited 614 Kuwaiti mothers of well children aged between six months and five years. Data was collected over six-months from September 2015 to March 2016, using a self-administered questionnaire.Results A total of 614 mothers participated in the study, with a response rate of 94.5 per cent. Twenty-seven per cent (166) of them considered a temperature ≤38.5°C to be a high-grade fever, with the level of education significantly influenced mothers’ reports of high-grade fever (F=4.68, df.=4, P=0.001, n=207). Almost all the parents believed that heat could cause harm, and 48 per cent (294) of them stated that fever is very harmful. Fifty-three per cent of mothers (309) would give antipyretic medication when body temperature is ≤38°C. Sixty-one per cent (375) of the mothers had alternated antipyretic paracetamol and ibuprofen. Forty-five per cent (274) of parents think that antipyretics are without potential harm. Level of education had a positive impact on the perception of fever [χ2 (df=8)=70.68, p < 0.001]. Usual practices targeted temperature reduction using antipyretics by 53.7 per cent.ConclusionMothers have an imperfect knowledge of fever. Fever phobia is widespread, leading to an overuse of antipyretics

Metacognitive accuracy differences in Parkinson’s disease and REM sleep behavioral disorder relative to healthy controls

Background: Metacognition is the ability to monitor and self-assess cognitive performance. It can be impaired in neurodegenerative diseases, with implications for daily function, and the ability of patients to reliably report their symptoms to health professionals. However, metacognition has not been systematically assessed in early-mid stage Parkinson’s disease (PD) and REM sleep behavioral disorder (RBD), a prodrome of PD. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate metacognitive accuracy and self-confidence in PD and RBD patients across various cognitive tasks. Methods: We conducted detailed computerized cognitive assessments with 19 cognitive tasks within an established PD and RBD cohort. Participants self-rated their performance post-task. Metacognitive accuracy was calculated by comparing these ratings against objective performance and further analyzed against clinical and mental health factors. Results: PD and RBD patients’ metacognitive accuracy aligned with control subjects. However, they exhibited lower confidence across cognitive domains, reflecting their reduced cognitive performance. A notable inverse correlation was observed between their confidence and MDS-UPDRS I and II scales and HADS anxiety and depression scores. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that patients with early to mid-stage PD and RBD are generally aware of their cognitive status, differing from other neurological disorders. The inverse relationship between patient confidence and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and daily life challenges underscores the impact of emotional and functional difficulties on their self-perception of cognitive abilities. This insight could be significant for understanding how these conditions affect mental health, aiding clinicians in developing more effective patient care strategies

Online cognitive monitoring technology for people with Parkinson’s disease and REM sleep behavioural disorder

Automated online cognitive assessments are set to revolutionise clinical research and healthcare. However, their applicability for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and REM Sleep Behavioural Disorder (RBD), a strong PD precursor, is underexplored. Here, we developed an online battery to measure early cognitive changes in PD and RBD. Evaluating 19 candidate tasks showed significant global accuracy deficits in PD (0.65 SD, p = 0.003) and RBD (0.45 SD, p = 0.027), driven by memory, language, attention and executive underperformance, and global reaction time deficits in PD (0.61 SD, p = 0.001). We identified a brief 20-min battery that had sensitivity to deficits across these cognitive domains while being robust to the device used. This battery was more sensitive to early-stage and prodromal deficits than the supervised neuropsychological scales. It also diverged from those scales, capturing additional cognitive factors sensitive to PD and RBD. This technology offers an economical and scalable method for assessing these populations that can complement standard supervised practices

Numerical simulation of drifting sand

Two-phase flows are involved in many industrial and natural flow phenomena varying from as specific as the transport of crude oil in pipelines to as general as the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. Numerical modelling based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), has attracted the attention of scientists and engineers from a wide range of backgrounds over recent decades during which these models have been extensively developed, analysed and applied to many practical applications. Wind blown particles such as sand or snow and their resulting accumulation around buildings, roads, oil field installations and security fences causes severe structural and design problems. These are traditionally addressed based on previous experience, full-scale field investigation or using scale model wind tunnel experiments, all of which incur high cost. In this study, wind blown particles are considered as a two-phase flow system. A finite volume based CFD code is developed using two-phase flow theory and is employed to numerically simulate the drifting of sand and snow around obstacles of different geometry. The model solves the governing transport equations in three dimensional space. Three different approaches are investigated to represent and solve the secondary flow phase, particles, within the flow field; a particle tracking model, based on a Lagrangian reference frame and the homogenous and the mixture models, based on an Eulerian reference frame. The capabilities and limitations of each of these models are investigated for flow fields involving drifting particles around obstacles of different geometry. Particles transported by wind both in suspension and saltation are modelled based on the physical characteristic and the threshold condition of the particle. Their effect on the flow field is incorporated through separate source terms contributing to the particle transport equation. The Eulerian based models are coupled with the Fractional Area/Volume Obstacle Representation (FAVOR) as a mean of representing the solid boundary formed by deposited particles separating the flow field from the accumulation zones. The FAVOR treatment allows the flow field to respond to the changes in the geometry of the deposition regions and further calculations take into account the erosion and deposition processes that have previously occurred. The model can be calibrated to match specific flow conditions through several controlling parameters. These controlling parameters are identified and analysed for four distinct case studies. Model results are compared with field and wind tunnel observations available in the literature and with field measurements conducted as a part of this study in the desert of the State of Kuwait. Qualitatively good agreement between the model and the observations is obtained in two as well as three dimensions. Although the mixture and particle tracking models show the potential capability to simulate such flow systems, the homogenous model is found to be the most appropriate model due to its relative simplicity compared to the mixture model and its lower computational cost compared to the Lagrangian particle-tracking model. In conclusion, a practical CFD tool has been developed and validated, incorporating novel physical and numerical models. The tool can be utilised by scientists and engineers to further understand the real world problem of drifting sand and snow in urban and industrial environments

Disclosure in the financial statements of banks : International accounting standards no.30 and the Kuwaiti banks

Disclosure in financial statements in general has been the subject of many studies, yet disclosure in banks' financial statements has not yet been given the attention and research it deserves. Such a lack of attention might be due to the financial statements users themselves not paying enough attention to it, or due to the banks' management not being keen to practise more disclosure within their financial statements.In Kuwait, disclosure in general, and within the banking industry in particular, has been receiving more attention for the last ten years or so, but such attention has not been explained yet.International accounting standard No.30 forms the foundation of the disclosure in the banks financial statements and similar institutions, and as Kuwait implemented the International Accounting Standards in 1990, banks fell under the IAS 30 requirements regarding the disclosure in their financial statements. In this exploratory study, two avenues are investigated: first, users' evaluation of the disclosure level within the banks' financial statements in Kuwait; and second, the measurement of the actual disclosure in the banks' financial statements in Kuwait. Asurvey method is applied to evaluate the disclosure level in the banks' financial statements, while an index method is applied to for measuring the disclosure level in the banks' financial statements

The Kriged Kalman filter and its applications

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo